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PEOPLE
• Mountain Crane Service has appointed Spencer McAllister as chief financial officer and promoted former CFO Josh Chafin to chief operating officer as the company continues McAllister to expand its operations across North America.
McAllister brings more than 25 years of financial management experience to the company. Most recently, he served as treasurer of BMW Bank of North America, concluding more than two decades with BMW in finance and treasury leadership roles. He is a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Treasury Professional and holds an MBA from the University of Utah and a Bachelor of Science in finance from Brigham Young University.
The company also announced that Chafin has been promoted to chief operating officer after serving as CFO. According to Mountain Crane Service, Chafin played a key role in guiding the company through a successful reorganization and helping position it as an industry leader.
• Sims Crane & Equipment has appointed Mike Kuffermann as chief operating officer, with responsibility for supporting strategy development and overseeing operational Kuffermann performance across the company.
A Florida native, Kuffermann has more than 17 years of experience with Sims Crane and has held roles in service operations, dispatch, outside sales, and executive leadership. He most recently served as chief sales officer before moving into the COO position.
In his new role, Kuffermann will focus on the safe, effective, and efficient performance of branch operations, fleet, and facilities while working with general managers and operations management teams.
Kuffermann represents a second-generation family connection to Sims Crane. His father, Kurt Kuffermann, spent more than 30 years with the company and served as vice president and general manager of operations before retiring in 2016.
• Konecranes has appointed Mara Zavagno as executive vice president of People & Culture, effective October 1, 2026. She will join the company’ s leadership team and report
Zavagno
to President and CEO Marko Tulokas.
Zavagno succeeds Anneli Karkovirta, who is retiring. As previously announced by the company, Karkovirta stepped down from the Konecranes Leadership Team on August 1, 2026.
Zavagno currently serves as vice president of People & Culture for Konecranes’ Industrial Equipment Business Area and as the company’ s chief inclusion and diversity officer. She joined Konecranes in 2017 through the
acquisition of Terex MHPS.
Zavagno will serve on the Konecranes Leadership Team alongside President and CEO Marko Tulokas and the company’ s executive leadership overseeing finance, business areas, technologies, corporate strategy and communications, legal, and People & Culture.
• WireCo has appointed Luis Padilla as chief operating officer for North America, effective August 10, 2026. Padilla reports directly to WireCo CEO Keith White and will oversee the company’ s Padilla North American business.
In the role, Padilla will be responsible for operational performance, manufacturing operations, and execution across the region. He will also work on customer support, profitable growth, and consistency across WireCo’ s North American operations.
Padilla brings nearly 30 years of experience in the rope industry. Most recently, he served as president and CEO of Knowix, where he led the development of an Industrial Internet of Things platform focused on predictive analytics and digital monitoring technologies for rope applications.
During his first months with WireCo, Padilla plans to visit company locations throughout North America, meet with employees and customers, and develop a deeper understanding of the company’ s operations, products, and markets.
CMC North America Named Exclusive U. S. Distributor for BG Lift Cranes
CMC North America has been appointed the exclusive U. S. distributor for BG Lift compact crawler cranes, marking the first time the Italian manufacturer’ s products will be distributed nationwide through a dedicated U. S. distributor.
Based in Veneto, Italy, BG Lift designs and manufactures compact crawler cranes for construction, industrial, utility, glazing, arbor care, and specialty lifting applications. The company has more than 30 years of experience in the lifting industry and offers cranes with lifting capacities ranging from 600 kilograms( 1,322 pounds) to 40,000 kilograms( 88,185 pounds). The product lineup includes both diesel-powered and lithium-ion electric models.
Under the agreement, CMC North America will provide sales, marketing,
technical support, operator training, service, warranty administration, and replacement parts support throughout the U. S.
According to the company, BG Lift cranes are designed with compact dimensions, precision controls, radio-controlled operation, and integrated safety systems for use in confined or difficult-to-access work environments where larger lifting equipment may not be practical.
The distribution agreement expands CMC North America’ s portfolio of compact lifting and access equipment. The company said customers will have access to both CMC tracked aerial lifts and BG Lift compact crawler cranes through a single distribution network.
Initial BG Lift inventory and demonstration units are expected to arrive in the U. S. during the third quarter of 2026. CMC North America said customers will have access to product demonstrations, training programs, technical support, and its nationwide service network.
www. cranehotline. com • September 2026 7